1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to an actuating device used in a game machine employing a display unit of, for example, a television receiver. More particularly, it relates to an actuating device for a game machine having an actuating portion for controlling various operations, such as those of rotating a display character on a display screen, continuously changing the movement speed or deforming the display character.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a game machine employing a television receiver has a main body unit of the game machine, connected to a television receiver used as a display device, and an actuating device for controlling a display character connected via a connection cable to the main body unit of the game machine and which is displayed on the display screen of the television receiver.
The main body unit of the game machine has, enclosed therein, a disc driving portion for reproducing an optical disc as a recording medium carrying a game program and a picture processing device for displaying on the screen of the television receiver a display character along with the background picture in accordance with a game program recorded on the optical disc.
On the actuating device, connected to the main body unit of the game machine, there are arranged plural actuators. The user actuates these actuators to input the command information concerning the operation of the display characters displayed on the display screen of the television receiver to control the movement direction of the display character depending on the command information.
The actuating device used in this type of the game machine is held by hand or finger during use. On one side and on the opposite side of the main body unit, there are arranged a direction command actuating unit having a cross-shaped or circular direction indicating operating button and a function setting executing unit having plural function setting executing buttons for setting the operating function of the display character or executing its operation. The direction command actuating unit includes four switches having actuators which are arranged orthogonally relative to one another and which are brought into and out of contact with the contact. These switches are selectively turned on and off by the cross-shaped or circular direction command actuators for moving the display character. For example, the display character is digitally moved in the direction along which is arrayed the one of the four switches that is turned on. The function setting executing unit includes switches in association with the plural function setting actuators so that the function of the display character allocated to each button is set or the function proper to the display character is executed.
The direction command actuator of the actuating device is configured so that the one of the four switches arranged in the mutually perpendicular directions gives a command signal of moving the display character in the direction along which is arrayed the switch turned on, so that it is not possible to give the command information of rotating and simultaneously advancing the display character or changing its line of sight. The result is that it becomes difficult to construct the game program employing the display character performing diversified operations.
On the other hand, since switches constituting the direction command actuating unit simply is turned on and off by actuation of the direction command actuator to give the command information controlling the movement of the display character, the movement of the display character becomes intermittent such that a series of continuous movements cannot be executed.
There has been proposed an actuating device having an actuating unit which renders it possible to input a command signal for moving and simultaneously rotating the display character, moving the display character as its speed is varied or changing its configurations.
This type of the actuating device is described in the Japanese Laying-open Publication H-7-88252.
There is provided in an actuator adapted to be thrust and simultaneously rotated in the actuating unit adapted for rotating a display character or changing its configuration. This type of the actuator is gripped or thrust by hand or finger.
The actuator for actuating the direction command actuator is also thrust by being thrust by hand or finger.
The actuator of the actuating device for the game machine is frequently acted on during execution of the game program. Moreover, the actuating unit is used for prolonged time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an actuating unit for the game machine which can give an optimum operating feeling to the actuation of the actuator acted on frequently.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an actuating unit for the game machine in which the user is not fatigued in hand, finger or even on prolonged use of the unit.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an actuating device for a game machine which affords an agreeable use feeling and which is high in reliability.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an actuating device for a game machine which enables the game to be executed with highly vivid play feeling.
For accomplishing the above objects, an actuating device for a game machine includes first and second grips protruded from one side of each end of the main body unit of the device. On one and the opposite ends of the main body unit are provided first and second actuating units. Each of the first and second actuating units is provided with plural thrusting actuators projected to the upper surface side of the main body unit and with plural signal input elements thrust by these thrusting actuators.
The actuating device also includes third and fourth actuating units arranged facing each other on the proximal ends of the first and second grips and which are provided with signal input terminals actuated by the thrusting actuators. These third and fourth actuating units can be actuated by thumb fingers of both hands of the user holding the first and second grips.
The third and fourth actuating units including the signal input terminals actuated by the rotation actuators input to the main body unit of the device command signals enable rotation and translation simultaneously of the display character displayed on the screen, movement of the display character with varying speed or change of the configuration.
In the present actuating device for the game machine, each rotation actuator includes a main actuator body portion of a synthetic resin connected to an associated actuating unit and a top portion of a flexible material swollen-out at its distal end and which is formed as one with the main actuator body portion. Since the top portion contacted with the hand or finger has its distal end swollen-out and is formed of a flexible material, an optimum contact feeling can be realized to improve use feeling.
There is enclosed in the actuating device of the present invention a vibration-imparting unit which imparts vibrations to the user during operation to execute a game with a vivid play feeling. This vibration-imparting unit is provided in the first and second grips and is made up of a driving motor and an eccentric member mounted on a driving shaft of the motor. The vibration-imparting unit has different vibration-imparting states to realize a more vivid play feeling in executing a game.
In the actuating device for the game machine according to the present invention, since the top portion of the rotation actuator for entering a command signal in executing the game program, contacted by the hand or finger of the user, is formed of a flexible material and is swollen out at its distal end, optimum contact feeling may be realized to improve the use feeling.
Since the main actuator body portion and the top portion making up the rotation actuator is formed by two-color molding, the main actuator body portion and the top portion can be positively unified to each other to assure high operational reliability of the actuating unit.